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J. SHAW.

PORTFOLIO.

Patented Deo. 24, 1850.

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Tun sTATE PAT l' JAMES SHAW, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

PORTFOLIO.

Specication of Letters Patent No. 7,860, dated December 24, 1850.

To all whom it 'may concern Be it known that I, JAMES SHAW, of Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and improved portfolio designed to keep sheets of music, drawings, engravings, or other papers in, and so arranged and constructed that the sheets may be successively added to and firmly bound or secured therein, so to preserve them while in use in like manner asif they were bound into a book inthe usual mode; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof and the manner in which it is made, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon, in which drawings- Figure No. l is a perspective view of the article, with several sheets inserted; Fig. No. 2 a longitudinal section of the roller back; Fig. No. 3 a cross section of the ferule on the upper end of the roller; and Fig. No. 4 a cross section of the ferule on the lower end of the roller.

The back of the portfolio A is a roller made of wood, the diameter and length of which is regulated bythe thickness and length of the portfolio intended to be made for sheets of music, one inch in diameter and fourteen inches in length, would be a convenient size. On each end of this roller is a ferule B, of brass or other metal, of the same diameter as the roller, with a cap C, about one quarter of an inch in depth, screwed on to it. The ferule on the lower end of the roller is one inch in length, and the ferule on the upper end is one and three quarters of an inch in length. Vhere the caps C join the ferules when screwed on an aperture is made across the ferules, by sewing half way through them, to admit the ends of the strings S, which are to be stretched lengthways of the roller on half of the circumference. On the inside of the lower ferule, and in a line with the aperture above described, a ring E,-of a diameter something less than the inside diameter of the ferule, is soldered to the lower part, or the part opposite the aperture. In the inside of the upper ferule is a slide H, with a half ring F, attached to it, which slide and ring is made to move back and forth inside of the ferule by means of a screw D, which screw passes through the center of the cap of the ferule and through the slide I-I. The screw D has a shoulder on it inside of the cap, and knob K on it, on the outside of the cap. On each side of this ferule, inside, are guides along which the slide moves. On stretching the strings S from end to end of the roller, one end of a string is passed through the aperture in the lower'ferule, and tied to the ring E, the other end of the string is passed and drawn through the aperture in the upper ferule, through the half ring F and back again through the same aperture, then to the other end of the roller, where it is passed and drawn through the aperture and the ring E, and back again in the same manner, and so on alternately, until about one half of the circumference of the roller is covered with strings not very compactly however, as the thickness of the sheets or leaves intended to be inserted require some space. The strings S may be in pieces of four or siX times the length of the roller, as may be found most convenient when putting them on, both ends of which strings should be secured or tied to the ring E in the lower ferule. The knob K is for the purpose of turning the screw D, thereby tightening or loosening the strings S as may be required. The wood roller, to give it a more finished appearance,

is covered with paper before the strings are put on it. rIhe next process is to prepare three or more strings for binders G, G, G,; this is done by taking strong linen thread, passing it through a needle, then twisting and doubling it, leaving a needle attached to one end of each of the binders. Small holes are then made through t-he center of the roller at equal distances from one another and from the end of the roller; the binders are then by the aid of the needles passed through the holes leaving the ends of a convenient length to tie in a bowknot. To prevent the binders drawing or slipping through the wood, an additional hole is made about half an inch distanct from each binder, through which the needle is passed back and then a second time through the first hole, leaving the ends as before stated, of suflicient. length to tie in a bowknot. The article is now ready for the covers, which are made in the usual manner, and of any material of which it is customary to make book covers, and attached to the under partof the roller, (by the under part I mean the part opposite to that on which the strings are stretched) by glueing or pasting them on, or by making holes through the roller and sewing them on, or in any other convenient manner. The strings should be of strong material, as the stronger it is, the finer or smaller the strings may 5 be, thereby admitting of the insertion of a larger number of sheets in the same space. The manner of inserting folio or double i sheets is as follows-loosen the strings by turning the screw on the 'top erule to the right, pass the sheet under the string and dra7 it through till the doubled edge or center of the sheet rests upon the roller under the string, then tighten the strings by turning the screw to the left, then by means of the needles, pass the binders through the doubled edge of the sheet, above'the string,

places.

JAMES SHAW.

lVitnesses:

MosEs RICHARDSON, SAMUEL JACKSON, 2nd. 

